This raw puer, produced by the Menghai tea factory, is available in an extremely limited quantity.
The large leaves of this cake initially impart an aroma and flavor of wood-smoke and mesquite. Their brew leaves a subtle honey aroma on the cup. Once steeped, these leaves carry elements of apricot, leather, dried cherries, and mahogany, with hints of camphor, chrysanthemum and silver needle. Their brew ranges from amber to mahogany, with a slippery texture, a slightly dry aftertaste slightly reminiscent of artichokes, and a sweetness that returns to the palate and throat after drinking (hui tian and hui gan, as it is known in Chinese). In later brews, its quartz-like mineral aspects become more apparent.
This tea is mouth-watering in effect, and its qi is potent, carrying a heady tea high that leaves one relaxed and spacey, yet somehow also stimulated, as it opens and brings qi to the area of the sinuses and the third eye.
Lasts about 13 brews.
Each cake consists of approximately 357 grams